It's 2 AM, and You Want Spaghetti?
by BananaSlutMuffin
Summary: just imagine bucky eating spaghetti like he hasn't eaten in a year and if that's not adorable then you are wrong
1. i love spaghetti

It was two in the morning and this man walks into a 24-hour diner in what can only be described as I'm-terribly-frightened-but-actually-a-gentle-giant-who-has-a-shiny-metal-arm-that-might-accidently-crush-your-windpipe-so-please-don't-touch-me-or-startle-me look and a black hoodie with the hood up, black jeans, and, to complete the look, black boots. He comes in and sits down at the small booth He always sits at, and the waitress that always serves him comes over. He wants spaghetti. It is two in the fucking morning and this man wants spaghetti. Spaghetti. Of all the things to eat at this hour he wants pasta. A normal person would ask for a burger or maybe some pancakes. But no, it's a great time for spaghetti. He comes into the diner a few times a week at the most random of times, he always sits in the same booth, and is always served by the same waitress.

Everyone on the staff would always try and make up stories as to why he was out so late. This morning's story was made by Jeff, he was the head dish washer and he made the greatest stories. The story this time was,

_ She works for the government, he's their best agent. He was working on a case about the recent downfall of that organization thing that just went down in the Potomac, he was sent to get information about one of the Hydra agents and see if he could get anything useful out of them. So he went, he spent weeks trying to get a hold of one he could manage to capture and that seemed relatively small so to easily frighten them out of their info. He finally found one and when he went to investigate her, she set him up and he was attacked. He's now on hydra's hit list and he's trying to stay low. He knows that they know he works for the government so he didn't even think about trying to contact them again. He's been driving for 27 hours straight. He's been driving all over the country for weeks, trying to confuse them, and he decided that they'd be looking for her in another state or even in Mexico or Canada. He thought she would be safe here. Now, here's the twist, he's a time traveler. He's been trying to get away from the remaining Hydra agents that survived until 2025 and he traveled back 10 years to save himself. He found this diner a little while ago, but he's been off doing crazy time-travel stuff and this is his favorite place to go to get some cheap food. That's why he's always tired, and that's why he's always here at weird times. He's too tired from all her traveling to even come back at a decent hour so he just goes with it and comes in at two in the morning and asks for spaghetti because in Italy in 1870, where he just came from, they were about to have dinner and he had to leave before someone realized he didn't actually belong there._

It was definitely a great story, but everyone actually wanted to know why he always came in so late. They asked the waitress serving him to sit with him and try and make conversation. He did look pretty lonely and rather jumpy so she decided why not? It wasn't like he was going to strangle her for trying to be nice to him, right? So when his spaghetti is ready to be brought up, she takes it over to him along with a milkshake she made for herself. She brought his food over to him, he gave her a polite nod and started eating like he hadn't in days. When she asked if she could sit with him he just stared at her like she was insane to want to even be near him. He nodded eventually and continued eating with less enthusiasm, seeming to not want her to stare while staring at her himself trying to encourage her to explain herself. She spoke up first, she was somewhat quiet as if she was trying not to startle him. She introduced herself first as Christa. Christa asked him what his name was, he looked at her for a moment before saying his name was James. He said it with uncertainty, as if the name was foreign to him, like he was nervous about saying it out loud. She understood from this simple reply that she'd have to carry the conversation for him. So she continued to ask him questions, giving him information about her in turn. Nothing that could hurt her, of course, but simple things like whether or not he lived close and what kind of job he has. He slowly started making complete sentences, he was still a bit nervous, but that's kind of normal when a stranger asks you a bunch of questions about your personal life. James let Christa ask him questions and talk about herself for a good hour or so until he said that he needed to get back home to get some sleep for work later that day. He left a pretty generous tip that morning.

When Christa walked back behind the counter to put her money into her purse, her co-workers rushed from their places and asked her what she found out, why she talked to him for so long, and whether or not he was a time traveler. "Well, he's not a time traveler, so sorry Jeff, your story was off. But he did say he used to be in the military and then he worked for the government, but now he's working as a security guard in one of those offices across town. And his name is James."

"Not exactly reality TV, huh." Jeff said and walked back into the kitchen to wash the rest of the dishes.

"Sorry to disappoint." Christa called after him and walked to clean the table she and James had shared.

"He's cute, did you ask if he was married? Or has a girlfriend?" the other waitress Kayla asked.

"No, I didn't because I didn't want to make him uncomfortable, he was so nervous to even tell me his name, I didn't want to make him feel worse." She replied.

"Maybe he was so nervous because he didn't want to blow his chances with you! He's been staring at you every time he comes in, haven't you noticed?" Kayla continued to question Christa as she started to wipe down the table. "You should totally go out with him sometime! You would be so cute together!" she insisted.

"Why would he want to go out with me? Maybe he just thinks I'm weird and that's why he stares at me. Or maybe he's just thinking all the time and he zones out and I happen to walk into his line of sight." Christa suggests.

"Yeah, alright, because that's likely."

"Yeah, well, I really doubt that he wants to go out with me because he would've asked by now."

"You said he was nervous around you, he's just shy! He's afraid you'll say no!"

"I don't think so."

"I think so."

Kayla continued to try and talk Christa into asking him out until she settled for Christa talking to him again next time he came in. Who knows, maybe he'll be a cool guy underneath all that anxiety.

James thought about her when he went home that morning, he was trying to figure out why she would spend more time with him than she needed to, he thought that maybe her and the other employees knew that there was something strange about him. Who was he kidding, of course they knew! He came into a diner at two in the fucking morning wearing all black and keeping his hood up. That doesn't exactly spell normal to other people. Maybe he should go out and buy some less depressing clothes. He can't keep wearing that kind of stuff if he's going to be normal here. He'll go to the store later. In the meantime, that girl was really pretty. She even had a pretty name. She was nice enough, she talked a lot like she knew he wouldn't and he liked that. He liked listening to her, he wanted her to keep talking to him. Maybe he'll come in tomorrow at an ungodly hour and maybe she'll talk to him again. She was pretty. She was short, yes, but she also had great cheekbones. Her hair looked nice too, it was longer than her shoulders, but not too long and it was strangely calming even though it was a bright shade of purple. It went nicely with her brown eyes that looked really beautiful when the light caught them. And her lips weren't thin like some girls', they were full but not too big, they fit her face nicely. He kind of wanted to kiss them if he thought about it, but he didn't, he couldn't afford to think about that. He might get attached. Getting attached isn't good. He's just tired, he should sleep. Sleep, that is a good plan.

She thought about him after she went home. She wondered if he had PTSD from the military. Probably, a lot of veterans get PTSD. That's probably why he was so jumpy. She wondered if he was alright, if he had someone to care for him and make sure that he was okay if he ever woke up screaming like she knew some veterans did. She also wondered if he was actually lying about his job as a security guard, he didn't look like a security guard like he looked like a veteran. You could tell even without the gorgeous metal arm that he was a veteran. He had a certain look on his face all the time, like he was constantly surveying his surroundings and the people around him. Maybe that's why he always chose the booth in the corner near the door. So he can see the whole diner without being obvious. Smart. She did wonder if he was single, damn Kayla pointing out how cute he was. She thought about how they would, in fact, look cute together. Maybe she will ask him out sometime. Just not the next time she sees him. That would be too soon. He should get to know her first, get comfortable with her. Yeah, that's a good plan, let's do that.


	2. fried chicken is nice i guess

James went to a little store in town later that morning, he got t-shirts, sweatpants, and those weird workout-pants that make your butt look good, some shoes, and a new hoodie. All in different colors. Nothing flashy but not all of them are black. A good assortment of clothes so that he didn't look like the psycho freak Hydra had left him. He still hadn't figured out how to fix that yet. He has to take it one step at a time or he'll probably break down. On the bright side, he hasn't seen any Hydra jerks looking for him since he's been here, but it'll happen soon and he shouldn't be here when they come. He could get lots of people hurt. He could get Christa hurt. He didn't want that. She was nice, he wouldn't put her into harm's way if he could help it. He would leave in a few days. Yeah, he'd see Christa a few more times and then he'd skip town. Maybe he'd come back in a few months to see how she's doing. Who knows.

James killed a few hours shopping before he went on a run around his neighborhood. He kept himself in shape and checked the perimeter. He checked the perimeter every few hours. He was great at checking the perimeter. He liked checking the perimeter. It gave him something to do. That's why he's good a security guard. Of course now in his office job he just sits and stares at screens with the video feed on them but that's okay too. He's good at that too. He works a fairly long shift because he's the only security guard on his shift, but he likes the quiet. He's glad to take the long shifts because it makes him feel better that he's watching over people to keep them safe rather than scoping them out to kill them. He may not remember things about the man on the bridge, but he sure as hell remembered the things he did when Hydra had control of him. He's just glad he's free now.

James got off work at 11:45 today, he changed back into his dark blue shirt and his workout pants and went for a run before going to the diner like he always did. He ran around the block a few times before he went in, always checking the perimeter to make sure it's safe to go in before actually entering. He sat in his corner and watched Christa clear a table before she looked to see who came in and smiled at him. She took the dirty dishes behind the counter and into the kitchen and came out with a menu for James. She gives him a moment to look it over and he eventually decides that he'd have the fried chicken.

It didn't take long before it came out and Christa sat with him like she did yesterday. This time she made herself a club sandwich and ate with him. She talked to him about the crazy rude customer that came in that day, he barely left a tip and kept complaining about the food even though there was nothing wrong with it, he was just an ugly white guy who was probably having a mid-life crisis she had said. He almost smiled at that. He smiled internally. She told him about how her sister Jackie was coming to visit, she was a pediatric surgeon and she lived in Texas but she was going to visit because Christa's birthday was coming up in a week. She wanted to see her before she had to go to Africa for her new job. She had gotten this special grant that allowed her to help the African children who didn't have any medical care. It was impressive really. Christa seemed a little bit jealous that her sister was one of the best surgeons in the country and she was just a waitress in some diner getting poor tips except for when James came in. He did smile at that, he was glad she wasn't some world-class surgeon because then he wouldn't have met her. It relaxes him to listen to her talk about her day, about the rude customers and the bad tips, and about her family. He just likes the sweet sound of her voice. She has such a gentle voice.

He listens to her for so long and she didn't seem to mind that he only nodded and made quiet noises of agreement or curiosity. He liked listening to the stories of her when she was in college, she said that she had gone to Virginia Tech and was something of a computer whiz but couldn't find any jobs that she was capable of so she just kept her job at the diner. She got discounts on meals so it's not too bad, she said. She also went on about how she got in trouble with the police when she was 16 because she hacked into the police's system to get the status reports on the investigation of her father's murder, and then again when she was stealing money from rich peoples' bank accounts to pay for her college classes because her family was too poor to afford it after her sister went to med school. Of course the people she stole from didn't actually press charges, but they did want her to pay the money back. She was sure to choose the people who were most likely to understand her reasoning and to let her off with a stern warning and a request that she give the money back. She's working on it, she told him, but it's not coming too easy because of the lack of tech jobs in Virginia. She kind of wanted to try and get a job for the government or at least a tech support nerd. He kept listening intently when she told him that she had been saving a lot of her tips so that she can move somewhere with a good paying job so she can get out of her debt, but she's a ways away because she's only 24.

He notices that she touches her hair a lot when she talks, she constantly runs her fingers through it and she doesn't like to make eye contact. Maybe she's nervous around him. Maybe he makes her uncomfortable. Maybe she's just tired or that's just how she gets when she talks. He doesn't know, but he thinks it's more likely to be one of the former two. He continues to analyze her quirks and listen to her stories until it's suddenly 2:38 AM and he decides to go home when she starts to look tired. He leaves a generous tip like he did the day before and he leaves with about as much of a smile as he could manage.

She walks over to where the others are sitting at the large booth and they tease her for being 'In love with the nervous-metal-arm guy'. She laughed at the nickname, but it wasn't really that accurate, he was just nervous around people he doesn't know. A lot of people are nervous about meeting new people. Christa certainly was. She was practically screaming inside when they asked her to talk to him. She's somewhat more comfortable with him now because he's not openly disgusted with her babbling, but she isn't sure he's not actually praying for her to leave him to eat in peace. Maybe she'll ask him if he hates her sometime. Not in those exact words, obviously, but subtly slip it into the conversation and observe his reaction. That should be a good way to find out if someone hates you, right? Casually mention it and then see if they make a face that clearly says 'oh fuck she figured it out what do I do now I hope she doesn't notice my disgusted face god what if she cries or spits in my food next time I come in'.


	3. i'll have to eat every chicken in here

James started his day off like he did any other day, he let himself sleep in until around 10:30, he made himself a breakfast that consisted of a few of those mini powdered donuts, he found that he really likes them, some scrambled eggs, bacon, and a couple slices of toast with jam. James decided to watch the news on his TV for a few minutes before going for his breakfast perimeter-check-run. He went to the grocery store because he used the last of his eggs and bacon this morning. He went down to the local Food Lion and he bought all of his necessities and even bought some more powdered donuts and some of that fancy vanilla creamer for his coffee. He really had a sweet tooth. He went to the self-checkout and made his way home.

He walked past Christa on his way home, it looked like she was coming out of a coffee shop on the other side of the street. She had a cup in her hand and she was walking in the opposite direction. She didn't notice that he had started to subtly follow her to make sure she got to her destination safely. He decided that he was going to protect her from then on. Whenever he saw her he would follow her to make sure that she would get to wherever she was going safely. You never know when some maniac is going to try to rape her or mug her or any of that. He took it upon himself to make sure she was safe. It took a little while, like 15 minutes, before she walked to the third floor of an apartment building and went into the last door on the right.

He went back home after she returned safely, he put all of his groceries away and he changed into his sweatpants before he started off to work.

James was always on time to work, if he wasn't early. He had another quiet day at work, nothing happened requiring his interference. He spent 11 hours sitting at a computer screen with barely a movement besides his lunch break. It was a very long 11 hours because all he could think about was getting to the diner to see Christa. She was the high point of his days. He'll be sad when he has to leave her.

It's just too long before he can get out of the office and into the diner. He does his perimeter check like he always does, just because he's infatuated with a girl doesn't mean he can slack off on their safety. He walks into the diner a little bit happier than usual, he's eager for Christa's company. She smiles at him as soon as he walks in the door, like she was waiting for him to arrive. She walked over and greeted him, she gave him the menu and gave him a moment to think. He decided he would have a grilled chicken sandwich with fries. She brought his meal and sat down with her own club sandwich and milkshake.

The topic for tonight consisted of one of her Thursday regulars flirting with her aimlessly and making her laugh on several occasions with his cheesy pickup lines. James was a bit jealous when he heard that, but he kept his cool and just stared at her as she laughed at the fresh memories. She went on to say that she knew that he was kidding but it was still one of the high points of her day because most of her customers just ordered their food, paid, and then left a $5 tip. He lightened up at hearing that, but he was still jealous that she enjoyed his company, probably more than James' he thought. It made him kind of sad until she said that he was also one of the high points of her days. She said that he was a wonderful listener and that if he was judging her she couldn't tell which made him even better. He actually smiled at that, and her face brightened up with it. Something about finally getting that sour expression to go away and brighten up for her. He thinks he'll smile more often. Only for her, though.

She said that she wished he's talk a bit about himself at some point, maybe not now if he wasn't comfortable with it, but just at some point. She'd like to know about his adventures, because with a face like that you just have to have been on some kind of adventure she said. He might just tell her a story that he had recently remembered about the man on the bridge—Steve—and him when they were younger. He'd have to change it a bit because he knew that it was a long time ago, like 70 years, but he'd keep the gist of it. He started quietly, he told her that his friend Steve and him had gone to the store to get some groceries for his parents and they ran into some guys basically trying to get into a woman's pants who clearly didn't want anything to do with the disgusting men, so Steve, being the justice serving little guy he was, told them to back off and leave the girl alone and he got into a fight with the one who seemed to be the leader. Steve, getting punched around more than James liked, took out the jug of milk form their grocery bags and hit the guy over the head until it busted and poured milk all over the guy who had started running away at that point. He had to take Steve back home and fix him up because he had a nosebleed and a split lip but it wasn't anything James couldn't fix. His mother was so disappointed and proud at the same time because they prevented a woman from being forced into that, but they got Steve's ass kicked and lost a perfectly good jug of milk. Christa had laughed at the story and he decided that he was glad he told her. Her laughter was a beautiful sound, it was gentle and sweet. He would have to make her laugh again just like she'd have to make him smile again. They were both pretty content with their plans for the future. She would keep voicing her admirations of him and he would tell her the stories he remembered from his younger years with Steve. He might even modify a few stories from his days with the Howling Commandos. It's not like she'd ever figure out that he was in the Howling Commandos or anything, what harm could it do? He would try and remember some good stories just for her. Maybe she'd laugh for him again.

She had said that she'd like to meet Steve sometime, she asked him if he'd ever bring Steve in sometime to meet her. He didn't know how to honestly reply to that, so he just told her that he was still doing work for the government and didn't get a lot of vacation time to visit James and he was normally the one who went to see Steve to make it easier for them both. She seemed a bit sad about that, but she didn't seem to pick up that he was lying, which was good. Maybe he'd be able to tell her the truth someday? If he stayed long enough, but he had to leave so it wasn't likely. Maybe she'll recognize him eventually, his picture is up in museums and she could make the connection at any time. He shouldn't stay and risk her figuring it out because then she might tell people about it and then his cover's blown. She wouldn't do that, would she? She's a relatively nice girl, she was quiet so that would be good but because of how obvious her gestures are when she's talking normally, it's likely that she's a bad liar. It's too risky, he should leave. Soon.


	4. ziTI hELl yEAh

James knew that this would happen. He'd been in the city trying to figure himself out before he could make himself a proper life. He had wanted to have at least a whole identity before he had to start over again. He wasn't happy when they walked into the diner. They looked like they were trying entirely too hard to be casual, but he was the only one who came into the diner at this hour. That's why he didn't come for lunch, if there's normally no one in the diner, it'll be easy to see someone looking for him. Of course, they could just be stopping from a road trip or any number of vocational excuses, but it was unlikely. They didn't sit close to James, much to his liking, but they say at a booth on the opposite side of him against a wall with a good view of his table. They knew who he was. He was sure of it. He should've left days ago but he just had to get distracted. He didn't recognize the two men who were eyeing him suspiciously and nodding to each other. They probably wouldn't have been noticed if James wasn't as alert as he was. He spends a great amount of time studying the details of the video feeds in his office and it's only sharpened his awareness of his surroundings. He needed an escape plan. Maybe he could go to the bathroom and climb out a window, maybe he could make a run straight out the door. It's not like they could out run him. Maybe he could wait and see if they did anything, if not, he'd quit his job and leave that night before anyone could ask him why. Before Christa could ask him why.

Christa was still sitting and talking to him while he stared and thought of potential plans and took note of the escape routes. She didn't seem to notice until she had made a joke and looked to him for a response to find him scowling at the men at the other table. She turned to look at them and then gave him a questioning look, "What's so interesting about those guys?" she asked him,

"They look suspicious," James replied, barely looking away from them, but trying to lighten his facial expression slightly.

"They do?" she asked, "Why?" James had to think of a response that wouldn't give anything away, he noticed that one of the men had a gun tucked into the back of his pants, he could barely see it but his shirt had ridden up when he leaned on the table. James thought about telling her that, but he also thought it would scare her or start an altercation if any of the others saw it and reacted negatively. He didn't want to risk that, so he told her,

"He has a gun tucked into the back of his pants," when she started to turn around he quickly added, "Don't look at him. Stay calm." She looked back at him and waited for him to say something else. He didn't so she nervously asked,

"What do we do about it? Do you think he's going to rob us or what?"

"I don't know, but I don't think he's here for your money. He could have a license and just carries it around just in case of an incident." He tried to reassure her. It didn't work too well.

"What if the other guy has a gun too and they try to kill us?" she started to panic,

"I said stay calm, I have experience with situations like that, but I don't think it'll come to that."

"I hope not," she said, looking back down to the table and playing with her hair, she's extremely anxious for them to leave.

"I'll be able to tell if they're going to try anything before they do, you'll be safe, I promise." She just nodded in response to his reassurance. He tried to get her to start talking again, he suggested that she talk about that band she likes that's coming to Maryland. She reluctantly started talking about how she had gotten tickets and eventually went into facts about the members and then into other bands that she's seen in concert over the past few years and started going on about them. Soon she was a lot less nervous and more excited about seeing her favorite band. All the while James kept his eyes on the men at the table, occasionally nodding and mhm-ing to her facts.

The men didn't do anything that night, they were perfectly peaceful, but they did make eye contact with James as they walked out. He would stay one more day to see if they were just weird men that carry guns on road trips or if they really were Hydra agents. He would tell Christa that he was going to visit Steve if they men came in with him again, that way she wouldn't be as hurt by him leaving. She might even be able to stay in contact with him if he got a phone that couldn't be tracked. He just hoped they were weird men carrying guns on road trips.

The next day when he came into the diner, Christa had an important question for him. He honestly wasn't sure how to respond when she blurted out, "Do you want to go on a date, maybe, sometime?" He stared at her in disbelief and his lips parted slightly. Without thought his reply came,

"I'd love to." Her face lit up and he tried to hide his shock at his own words. He had meant to politely decline, but it seemed his mouth had other plans for him.

"We could go to a late screening of that new action movie if you want, I can get Kayla to cover my shift here since it's not exactly busy at this time of night." She suggested sweetly and he nodded and tried to smile back without looking too odd. She got up and went to get his order (today he ordered the baked ziti with a few extra slices of garlic bread.)

He was a moron. An infatuated little moron. He was a man for Christ's sake and he couldn't even say no even after the men with guns yesterday. He should be worried! He should be alert and aware but he was going to go on a date! He was pretty excited about the date, if he was honest, but that's not the point. There was no sign of danger but that's no reason to let his guard down. God, SHE could be Hydra! He should do a background check to make sure she's not actually trying to get him alone so she can brainwash him again and take him back to them. She was too cute to be Hydra, too nervous, it was impossible. Maybe she was just a tremendous actress. Maybe he was just paranoid. He could never be too careful he'll keep an eye on her. He will not step into a trap. He will not.

And when he went home he did some research. He was shocked with what he found.


	5. popcorn trash af

Christa didn't go to Virginia Tech, she didn't have a degree that was even relatively close to computer technology, she wasn't 24, but she wasn't at all associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra that James could find. She basically lied about her entire life story except the part about her sister being an incredible pediatric surgeon and her father being murdered when she was young. She did have the incidents on her record about breaking into private files and bank accounts, but other than that it was a lie. Her real name wasn't even Christa. When James looked further into her criminal record, he found that she had been the lead psychologist and recruiter for a secret science division based primarily in Hungary, with secondary bases all throughout Europe, that was trying to simulate the super soldier serum until 2000. She was recruited against her will in 1995 when she was only 20. She had graduated from her high school when she was 16 and had just gotten out of university. She had a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in religion and philosophy. She was at the top of her class and the division saw her as a perfect candidate for the job, but she refused several times until they eventually threatened her and her family until she gave in.

She worked for this division for five years (during which she gained her doctorate degree in psychology and became a combat expert and weapons specialist), she pretended to be completely loyal to them and she was gathering the physical files of each of the recruits that had sessions with her, she typed them up and published the records, along with the videos of the experiments and locations of each base with their personnel, onto the internet. This led to the division's downfall in July of 2000. She uploaded the files from a coffee shop in Budapest before she fled to Chile, changed her name, and entered the United States where she currently resides. Her name is Raina Csintalan and she was born on August 17, 1986 in Bicske, Hungary.

James didn't know whether or not he wanted to be mad about how much you can find out about someone on the internet. He also didn't know whether or not he wanted to be angry at Christa _Raina_ for not telling him about it at least vaguely like he did about Hydra. He couldn't blame her, honestly, he didn't even want to be vague about his time with Hydra but he decided to trust her with it. He didn't think she was a bad person, (not even _close_ to his idea of bad.) but he would've liked to find out by other means. Okay, that's partly his fault from basically stalking her, he looked at her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and ever her Vine account on top of all the articles in various languages about her 'heroic actions'. He was madder that the people who wrote the articles knew about her name change and where she moved after this happened. It reminded him about how unsafe the internet is for the public's privacy.

He decided he wouldn't confront her about it just yet, he'd ask her more questions on the way to and from the movie, he wanted to know if she'll tell him on her own as she starts to trust him more. He knew it would take time for her to open up to him on a topic so sensitive to her, he didn't want to ruin his chances of getting close to her. As much as he hated to admit it, he was probably a bit more than just infatuated with her at this point. The fact that she's against genetic enhancement serums is just icing on the cake. And maybe, since she is a psychologist, she could help him remember things from his past. Maybe she'll be able to fix the incredible mess that is his mental state.

He and Christa decided to meet at the diner and walk down to the theater, so he went. Christa's face was a mixture of nervousness and happiness when he walked in. She immediately walked over to him as her friends all watched and smiled as they greeted each other, "Hey," Christa said, smiling brightly.

"Hey," he replied, "are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go." James decided to slowly make his was into her past by asking about the recent past first.

"How was your day today? Any more rude old white guys?" he said, smiling a little and starting down the sidewalk to the theater. She chuckled in response and said,

"No, but there was an adorable elderly couple that came in," she said happily as she followed his lead, "They were so small and cute, they both had their canes and walked extremely slowly but they had been together for 60 years." James' eyebrows raised,

"That's a long time to be stuck with another person," he said,

"Yeah, but isn't it so nice that they could love each other for that long? I mean, now there are people who were married for six months getting divorced and having children out of wedlock all over the place," she said, "It's nice to see a couple who has tolerated each other for that long."

"I guess so. It must've been hard to keep that marriage together though, just think of all the fights they must've had." He replies.

"Fighting is better than not speaking," she told him,

"That's true," he says, thinking, "You know, we really don't know that much about each other, if you think about it." He said as they came up to the theater,

"Well, you haven't really talked to me much, I think this is the first real conversation we've had besides the one yesterday," she smiled at him,

"I prefer to listen. I'm better at listening than I am at talking about myself." He told her truthfully.

"Well, we'll just have to break you out of your shell, then, won't we? That is, if you really want to get to know me," she smiled again and he smiled back at her,

"We just might." He said as they walked into the theater, he thought about ways to bring up the only topic he really cares about at the moment, he's never usually this impatient, but he just can't help it. At least he had about two hours to think about it. If only life could be easy. He shouldn't even be worried about these things, but life certainly has its ways of making him uncomfortable, doesn't it.


	6. the spaghetti if u know what i mean

James and Christa walked out of the theater at 1:45 AM, and he walked her home. On the way, James asked her lots of questions about herself. He found out that her favorite color was a tie between teal and emerald green, she likes cats more than she likes dogs unless they're the big breeds, she performed at the Winter Guard International championships when she was in college with the drum corps, and she has a lot of colorful things to say about how the American education system is functioning (or rather the American government in general, she seems to hate this country with a fiery passion.) She didn't speak of any past jobs that she had, she just said that she had been working at the diner all throughout college and doesn't plan on quitting any time soon.

Christa had learned that James' favorite color was sky blue, he's never had any pets so he doesn't have opinions on dogs or cats, he was a sergeant in the army for 2 years, and he also had a lot of colorful things to say about the American government, maybe even more so than Christa. James had walked her home since her apartment wasn't that far away from the theatre, she had told him he could just take her back to the diner if he didn't want to walk all the way there, but he was a gentlemen (and he took it upon himself to make sure she was safe at all times, but she didn't know that.) He walked himself home after he said goodnight to Christa, he was in a good mood until he went to bed.

James thought of other ways to bring up the subject of her making (almost) everything about her life up, but he came up with nothing that she wouldn't be able to pick up on and get offended by. So he would just have to wait until either she told him herself, or until she loved him and wouldn't hold a grudge against him for looking up all of her past online (if that ever happened.) He could wait, if it was really necessary. He would ask her in a few months. A few months sounded like a good amount of a time.

He continued to come into the diner daily and go on dates with Christa for the next few weeks, he even took her to the zoo on her birthday to see the elephants. Their relationship was coming along beautifully, he hadn't asked her about the thing yet, and he really wasn't worried about it anymore. She was probably the sweetest woman he had ever met, he was falling in love with her whether he knew it or not, and she was falling just as hard as he was, if not harder. She hadn't spent the night at his apartment yet, nor he hers. They've hung out at each other's places on several occasions, but nothing ever happened. Christa thought it was about time that something did. It had been a month since their first date and she was ready to take their relationship to the next level. So she invited him to her apartment to watch a movie on Saturday.

She had a whole plan set up for getting him into her bed. She was going to choose a really cheesy romantic comedy for them to watch and make spaghetti for him. Hopefully the spaghetti would be good and he'd start off the date happy only to be bored to death by the movie, thus giving Christa the opportunity to start a really hot make out session and then get him into bed. It was a really typical and unoriginal plan, but it worked pretty much whenever she did it. Men are simple creatures, they're easily entertained and, for the most part, easily pleased. She just hoped James would be as simple as the others in this situation.

James was happy to watch movies and eat spaghetti with Christa, he would be happy cleaning toilets with Christa if he was honest. The spaghetti was wonderful, the best he's ever had, but this movie was complete and utter trash. It was poorly made, the acting was just awful, but the jokes—the jokes were _so bad_. He could barely keep a straight face because he was too busy cringing. Christa, on the other hand, was smiling because, naturally, the plan was working. Unoriginal plans are unoriginal because they're good plans, why make something up if someone else came up with an effective plan? If it isn't broken, don't fix it. "I expected this movie to be better," Christa lied, tilting her head up from its position on James' chest.

"It is pretty bad, isn't it?" he laughed a bit and she nodded,

"We should do something else," she suggested, sitting up to look into his eyes,

"Like what?"

"Like this," she said quietly as she leaned in and kissed him softly. He moved his lips just as softly as she did until she pulled away, biting her lip.

"That works," he said, smiling down at her and reconnecting their lips, more confidently this time. She kissed him back, nipping at his bottom lip every so often and tugging on it. He pressed his tongue against her lips and she eagerly opened for him. She climbed onto his lap and he placed his flesh hand onto her hip while her hands were busy cupping his cheeks and feeling his chest. She kept kissing him eagerly and ground down on his lap. He groaned and wrapped his metal arm around her waist and cupped her face with his right hand, "Are you sure you want to go there?" he asked her after reluctantly pulling away from her lips.

"I'm more than sure," she replied, going straight back to his lips. He pulled away again and looked her in the eyes,

"Are you sure you're sure?" she looked at him like she was missing something,

"Do you not want to?" she asked him, "Am I going too fast?" He shook his head,

"No, no, I just want to make sure is all," he told her, she smiled and kissed him chastely,

"I'm glad you care," she started, "But shh," she smiled and kissed him and ground down on him again, harder. He groaned louder this time. She pulled away for a second, got up and pulled him up with her. She released one hand and led him to her bedroom with the remaining hand.

And they did the no-pants-dance for hours.


	7. hydra fillet for breakfast

James hadn't thought about Hydra in weeks. He hadn't strained to remember the things from his past, he was focused on his present and future with Christa. It was time to ask the ever so important question. "Why did you lie to me about your past?" James asked quietly, rolling over to face her under her sheets. He could see her face start to how anger and she replied,

"Why did you?" James was confused, how did she figure that out? Had she known the whole time? Why wouldn't she confront him about it sooner?

"Because 'hey I used to be an assassin for Hydra and I killed a lot of people in the recent accident in the Potomac' isn't exactly a good way to open a conversation." He replied, (he had gotten a lot of his old personality back from before Hydra, he had noticed, but his memories weren't coming quite as easy.}

"Neither is 'hey I was forced into dealing with the patients of human enhancement experimentation and had to have several of them put down in the process', we have that in common." He understood that. He always did, he just couldn't hold in his curiosity anymore.

"Would you have told me eventually?" he asked quietly.

"Maybe, would you have told me?" he smiled,

"I was going to tell you after you explained why you lied, but I didn't have to." He replied. They laid together for a few moments, thinking about their own pasts. James looked at her, on her side, looking up at him and playing with the sheet covering her body. He took his hand and caressed her face, taking in all of her beauty and uniqueness.

"I guess you should start calling me Raina, huh," she smiled gently up at him,

"And you should start calling me Bucky," he smiled back and kissed her gently. "We should get out of bed, or else I won't ever leave," he chuckles, his eyes doing that adorable crinkle-thing. She nodded and smiled back to him, kissing him again,

"Or," she said as she pulled away slightly, her face still millimeters away from his, "We could stay here," she trailed her hand from his face down his chest and lower still, "And do this," she smiled and kissed him and he kissed back eagerly.

James stays in Raina's bed until it's nearly time for work, he decided that he really needed to leave, but he couldn't get Raina to let him go. So he called in sick and they stayed there all day and all night. The relationship was going well, they both knew how to find dirt on each other, they both understood each other's reasons to keep said dirt to themselves, and the sex was just fantastic. He may have found his other half. His better half. He was expecting her to be completely clueless and to mace him as soon as he told her, but she's a lot stronger than she looks. She was incredible. He really did think so, but he didn't have time to think about the Hydra agents that burst through her door at four o'clock the next morning. It wasn't even daylight yet

He would've preferred that they come later, because he can't see them all, that well in the darkness. He could still hear them though. There were about ten of them searching the house, it was relatively easy to shove Raina out of her apartment window to get into her car and hide there until he took care of all of the agents. She argued and wanted to help him but she eventually gave up because it was his fight. He fought flawlessly and brutally, he didn't show any mercy to the men that threatened himself or Raina. Especially Raina's safety. If he could look up all of her information, he didn't doubt that they could dig up even more on her. They probably wanted her to fix him and to create new soldiers for them. He would die before he would let them take her away from him. It took him a grand total of 10 minutes to take care of the agents, they didn't pose that much of a physical threat, if he was honest. He jumped out of her window and into her car, she pulled off as soon as he was in.

"Hydra?" she asked him quietly, he just nodded, not looking at her. "Where should we go?"

"As far away as possible." He replies, she nods.

They didn't have time to pack clothes or food so they would have to stop somewhere after they crossed state lines. They would also have to cancel their credit cards and get new ones since those were left behind too. They went north, towards Canada, hoping to lose them. It's Canada, nothing can go wrong there, right? They certainly hoped so.

They only stopped at fast food restaurants and crowded stores to lower the chance of them being seen by Hydra. James had learned that Raina knew how to steal a car while they were at a Wal-Mart, he was very impressed. They would need to switch cars a lot if they wanted to disappear.

They tried to stick to the bigger SUV's and minivans so they could sleep easier, they didn't want to risk someone recognizing them this soon after they escaped. They would wait a few more days before they could sleep in a proper bed. What would they do about their jobs? They should probably limit contact in case Hydra got to them, they didn't want to endanger them any further. This was more of a problem for Raina because she had actually made friends in that city, unlike James. It made it just that much harder for her to go on the run with him, but she knew she didn't have a choice. She understood that it wasn't his fault. She didn't understand, however, why he wouldn't call his good friend Captain America to come to the rescue, she was sure they would be happy to help, especially since Steve hasn't seen him since WWII. She let him make his own choices, she wasn't his mother, and they could handle this by themselves. It would be a lot more comfortable if they called the Avengers, though. It'd definitely be more comfortable and a lot quicker if they called the Avengers. She could list a million reason to call the Avengers, but she wouldn't force him into it. He'd call when he was ready for their help. Until then, it was her job to take care of him.


	8. el té congelado se chupa culo

Raina liked Canada, for the most part. The people were pretty nice even when they pretended to only speak French when they were in Montreal (Raina also spoke French, so their attempts to avoid interaction failed.) It was like a vacation of sorts for her. James, on the other hand, refused to relax no matter how much Raina reassured him that they couldn't have followed them all the way here. She even offered to buy them plane tickets to Greenland to get even farther away, but he wasn't too happy at the thought of "a metal deathtrap flying through the air at altitudes you can't safely escape from without a (UN) provided parachute". So they stuck to minivans and SUV's until they had to get on a series of boats. They went as far north as Canada went, only stopping when they reached the Arctic Ocean. They decided to stay in Nunavut, the island of Ellesmere to be exact, until they felt like it was safe to go back south. It would be a few months, at least, knowing James. It was going to be a long few months for Raina, she hated the cold and that part of the world is always cold.

Raina was miserable. There was nothing but ice and frozen shit everywhere. She had to wear a fucking parka inside the cabin. She and James had to cling to each other for warmth throughout their entire stay. It wouldn't be so bad if it was actually an effective heat source. Even with all the blankets and jackets she was wearing, she was still frozen inside and she wasn't sure how much more she wanted to take. It had only been a month and she was ready to hunt down anyone even loosely tied to Hydra and rip their spines out through their mouths. She didn't have as much fat as would be preferred in this type of weather, she had no insulation and James, god, he was just a giant slab of muscles, which, would be _really great_ if it wasn't so fucking cold. It was fucking April and it was still -20°F. It was utterly ridiculous. She shouldn't have suggested Canada. She should've suggested somewhere warm, like Brazil. They could've had fun in Brazil. They could've had a nice vacation in Rio. Hell, they could've gone on a cruise! Now **that would be smart**. You literally just float around the world for months on end, how could they possibly track them _on a ship?_ She's definitely upset now. Maybe she could talk him into going on another road trip back into the U.S. and then into California for a Disney Cruise! Oh, she would have so much fun on a Disney Cruise. It would have tons of children and soccer moms with dads who looked like they wanted to throw themselves overboard, there's _no way Hydra would fit in_. It's a perfect plan. Plus, she loves Disney movies. She could totally throw James into a Disney movie marathon. It would be beautiful.

They could totally travel all over the world without risk of Hydra finding them, they'd be just like any other tourists. She hasn't been home in a while, maybe she could take James to meet her family back in Hungary. Or maybe they'd be in France this time of year…she didn't know, but it'd be fun to see how he acts in front of her parents. Why didn't she think of this sooner? Here she was, freezing her ass off in the middle of the tundra when she could be running all over the world with her boyfriend.

"We should go on a cruise." Raina suddenly sat up in bed and said to James, pulling all the covers with her.

"We're running from Hydra and you want to go on vacation?" he moved his eyes to look at her from his position on the bed, almost glaring at her with confusion.

"Well, think about it. We'd be on a boat for months on end, going all over the world, and if we went on a Disney Cruise, there would be lots of parents and kids there, no way for Hydra to blend in. It's a perfect plan," She said, excitedly, "Or, at least a hell of a lot better than this one." She added.

"It's like 3 AM, and you want to go on a global cruise," he said, "what have I gotten myself into," he added to himself.

"It's a _good plan, Bucky._" She argued as he tried to get some sleep.

"Yeah, okay, can we talk about it later?" he asked quickly, "It's hard enough to sleep with it being as cold as it is, you need to shh," he continued, yawning in the middle of his sentence.

"I guess, but it really is a good idea, Bucky." She said, laying back down next to him, cuddling up to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. He nodded and they drift off to sleep for an hour or so before the sun started to come up and make all the snow and ice illuminate the cabin and prevent them from ever sleeping in. Sometimes, if they were lucky, they'd be able to get so tired that their bodies didn't care about how light it was and they could get a few extra hours of sleep at night. Raina was a hell of a lot more sleep-deprived than James was, he didn't need much sleep, but she was constantly tired and cranky from the lack of sleep and good coffee. She would kill for a good caramel macchiato any time of the day. Or a coconut chai tea with milk. She would commit mass murder for a cup of coconut chai tea. It was her favorite thing to drink at any time of day besides coffee in the mornings. Oh how she missed life's little luxuries. She didn't realize what a big role simple drinks had in her life until she came to this frozen wasteland. Her tea supply only lasted until two weeks ago when she absolutely had to have it hot enough to burn her to keep her from freezing to the floor. Their coffee supply ran out the week before that. She's just about ready to pack all of her things and just leave that afternoon. She couldn't do that of course, she couldn't just leave him there by himself. She would just have to suffer through it until she could talk him into going on a cruise or travelling the world with her. She thought it would be a month or longer before he agreed to it, but he agreed that morning. They packed their bags and got on a boat back to the mainland and started their long drive to California. Raina was very happy about his compliance with her plan. She was proud of that plan, it was brilliant.


	9. poi and laulau holla at me

It took about a week to get back into the states, it was a long and tedious drive, but Raina and James were both happy to be out of that nasty, frozen, hell. They were in Los Angeles getting ready to go on a 15-day Hawaii cruise, they decided that they would go on a series of different cruises for two months until they would go to New York. James seemed to be okay with that for now, but once those two months were up, she knew he would have regrets. He has something that's not quite a fear, but something similar, of Steve because he knows he knows him, he just doesn't have the details even after all this time.

They had to admit that they did need a vacation, especially James. It would be good for him to finally be able to relax for once. If a giant boat with kids and unhappily married parents wasn't the safest place for him to relax, then they were both well and truly screwed. And if Hydra found them, a lot of people would be in danger. Lots of _children_ would be in danger. They didn't quite think of that, but really, what were the odds of Hydra attacking a family cruise ship? Not very good odds.

The series of cruises they had booked cleaned out their bank accounts so they would have to live off of other people's money for a while. They would have to steal from either the other passengers or Raina would have to pull the same trick she did when she got into college. She decided that if she had to do that, she would steal from Tony Stark so that even if things went bad, they also went well because he was connected to Steve. Raina thought it was a pretty good backup plan. She also decided not to tell James about it because she knew he wouldn't allow it.

It took three days for James to stop checking the perimeter of their cabins, he was a lot calmer with Raina than he was back in Virginia. He calmed down just in time for him to start worrying again when Raina was talking to a man on the deck of the ship. He didn't know why, but he was more worried that he was flirting with her than trying to hurt her. Okay that wasn't exactly true, but he didn't want her talking to him. He watched them for a while, they walked and talked and they did until a little boy came running up to them._ Good, he had a kid. He won't want her because he probably has a wife._ James thought to himself, feeling a bit relieved. The man walked away and James approached her, "Who was that?" he asked her.

"OH," she turns around to face him, "His name was Chris, he's on this cruise with his wife and his kid." She answered.

"What did he want?" he continued to question her.

"He didn't _want_ anything, it was just a conversation while his kid was running around." She replied, almost laughing at his jealousy. She cupped his face and kissed him, "You always have to worry about something, don't you?" She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, "If not Hydra, other men talking to me," she kissed him again, he looked somewhat embarrassed,

"I'm not worried," he lies, "I'm just…checking." He said, looking away. She laughed and led him onto the deck where they were serving lunch. The food on the ship actually wasn't that bad, it was actually really good. There was lots of fish and seafood, naturally, but they served it in so many different ways that they really didn't mind.

They would be in Hawaii soon, it wouldn't take long for them to be able to get off the boat and walk around the islands for a while. Raina's most excited about the culture and the food there, James is just happy to go wherever she goes. Raina loves all of the different cultures in the world, she loves to just learn about traditions and ceremonies in countries around the world. One country that she's always wanted to go to was Africa, but that was a trip for another time. There were so many places in the world she wanted to see but there was so little time for it all. She would get to some of them one day, though.

When they finally arrived in Hawaii, their goal was to see at least two of the islands. They wanted to see the volcanoes, the beaches, the people, the culture, they wanted to see everything. Or at least Raina did. Raina decided that she would live in Hawaii for a while if they weren't on the run. It was a beautiful place, the beaches were wonderful and you could see dolphins in the water if you woke up early enough. You could even see a whale every so often. It was paradise. Raina even got James to eat Poi and Laulau (his face was priceless.)

Their stay didn't last nearly long enough, they had to get back onto the ship and back to LA, much to Raina's disappointment. She would definitely make James take her back when this was all over. For now, they were sailing back to the mainland and getting ready for a 31-day world/exotic cruise that would take them all throughout Europe, the Caribbean and even to Australia. She was very excited to go to Australia, she had always wanted to pet a kangaroo at one of their petting zoos.

It was a wonder that someone with a personality as gentle and colorful as Raina's could be in a relationship with someone who has the capability of emotional interest of a peanut. It made James very happy to watch her wander around Hawaii looking like a child in a toy store, she was excited about everything and he never wanted her to stop looking like that. He was proud of himself for actually getting someone as wonderful as her to even notice him, he cherished every moment with her and he never wanted to be apart from her. He wouldn't ever leave her side.


	10. coconut chai and crumpets son

The first stop on the exotic world cruise was England. Raina was most excited about the teas, James was most excited about being out off of the ship. It was safe to say that he wasn't actually a big fan of boats, but he'll manage. Raina bought all kinds of teas and went to all kinds of coffee shops, all of which she dragged James into. James discovered that he really liked coconut chai tea with sugar and milk. It was probably his favorite after the raspberry-pomegranate. He also liked lattes and Frappuccino's. He was going to be very sad when they left, but at least they had bought enough tea for a few months. They'd have to find a way to get more after they'd eventually run out.

James' second favorite thing about England was that he got an adorable picture of Raina getting excited about the flamingoes at Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire. "As soon as you're ready to call Captain America he's totally going to let us live in Stark Tower and maybe we can harass Tony to let us have a flamingo!" she had said to him. He wasn't completely on board but he'd try just to make her happy. She had also said something about buying four cats if they couldn't convince Tony to have a flamingo. He was more comfortable with the cats.

She was so happy to be spending all this time in England, she never wanted to leave. If they hadn't already paid for an entire cruise, she wouldn't have. She could live off of tea and crumpets if she really wanted to. And boy, did she want to.

Their next stop on the cruise would be France, and she was ready to get a bunch of bottles of expensive wine they couldn't afford for their trip. She would figure it out later, maybe she'd actually get a good job somewhere after all this. Maybe she could work for Tony. That'd be a hell of a job.

Raina's relationship with James was building up quite well. She had broken most of him out of his little shell, he was a lot happier and less paranoid than he was when he had come into her diner. He was completely sane and comfortable with himself and his surroundings, he didn't question everything like he used to, he wasn't constantly scoping for exits or escape routes, no longer envisioning the worst case scenario. Of course, he still kept these things in mind, just in case, but it wasn't the first thing he did and nor did it dictate the way he went about everyday life. He was so much better thanks to her. She was a blessing to him and he never took advantage of it. He never missed an opportunity to thank her for all of her kindness and support. He was constantly going out of his way to buy her cute things she would like, do nice little favors for her without being asked, and pretty much anything he could do to spoil her. It was time that he stopped and just let her take care of him. He was a little obsessed with pleasing people, it was very sweet, but it was a bit much at times. It's not like she didn't appreciate everything he did for her, he just did so much and she didn't want him to focus on pleasing her. She wanted him to be happy, she wanted him to buy nice things for himself, to treat himself like he treated her. He deserved it.

She confronted him about his tendency to do these sweet things without being asked and doing them so frequently the day before they arrived in Greece. It was a beautiful night and while Raina was reading a book she had gotten form Portugal, James had opened a nice bottle of wine they had gotten in France and had started setting up the little table they had in their room. He had gotten a bunch of nice food and candles and he was setting everything up so beautifully, she felt bad stopping him.

"James," she started quietly, closing her book, "You don't have to," she sat up and smiled at him.

"You don't like it?" he said, starting to look sad, "I-I can do something else, I mean-"

"It's beautiful, love." She cut him off softly, "But you don't have to set all this up all the time," she got up and walked over to him, taking the silverware out of his hand and setting it on the table, "You don't have to impress me, you already have me, James." She held his hand in one of hers and cupped his face with the other. He just looked down at her and smiled,

"Are you sure?" he asks quietly, she just nods and kisses him softly. He places his hands on her waist and kisses her back more firmly, she wraps her arms around his neck and sighs into it. He moves his hands lower onto her hips and she moves one hand back to cup his cheek and deepen the kiss, flicking her tongue against his bottom lip, asking for entrance and he eagerly grants. Their tongues dance together and she starts to unbutton his black shirt. The garment drops to the floor silently and she glides her hands across his chest, not breaking their kiss. Her hands explore the broad expanse of his chest and he reaches for the zipper on her dress. He finds it easily and unzips it even easier, he breaks their kiss only to move his lips to her neck and collarbone as he slides her dress down her body and it drops to the floor. She sighs as she feels his warm lips on her breast, she smiles at how quickly he's able to unclasp her bra after having practically no idea when the first time. She always loved the way he looked at her naked breasts as her bra fell to the floor, he would look at them from his place in front of her and he would look up at her every time as if to silently ask for her permission to touch her. She would always smile down at him and he would keep the eye contact as he took one of her nipples into his mouth, gently sucking it until it hardened and then moving onto the opposite, giving it the same treatment. He would always kiss the undersides of her breasts before moving down her stomach, stopping every few inches to lick at her soft skin and his tongue would always dip into her belly button before he took off her panties and got to work.


End file.
